Curved shaving head with a flat surface and a movable cutter with a similar flat surface and having a pivotal end and a spring loaded end



July 2, 1968 J. GODEFROY 3,390,454

CURVED SHAVING HEAD WITH A FLAT SURFACE AND A MOVABLE CUTTER WITH A SIMILAR FLAT SURFACE AND HAVING A PIVOTAL END AND A SPRING LOADED END Filed May 5, 1967 INVENTOR jmqz ATTORNEW United States Patent Ofice 3,399,454 Patented July 2, 1968 3,390,454 CURVED SHAVING HEAD WITH A FLAT SURFACE AND A MOVABLE CUTTER WITH A SIMILAR FLAT SURFACE AND HAVING A PIVOTAL END AND A SPRING LOADED END Johan Godefroy, Overveen-Bloemendaal, Netherlands, assignor t Inventa Trust reg., Vaduz, Liechtenstein Filed May 5, 1967, Ser. No. 636,384 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Oct. 27, 1966, 6615194 2 Claims. (Cl. 30-4332) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electric shaver comprising a cutter head with a plurality of substantially semi-circular cutter blades arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of said cutter head, said cutter blades being flattened substantially according to a chord between a point situated in or near the longitudinal centre plane of the cutter head and a second point situated sideways thereof.

This invention relates to a shaving head for an electric shaver, comprising a cutter head with a plurality of mainly semi-circular cutter blades arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction, said cutter blades resting with their circumference against the inner surface of a correspondingly curved thin shaving plate, said shaving plate being provided with a large number of slots of apertures which together with said cutter blades exert a shearing action on the beard hairs projecting through the apertures when the cutter head is vibrated in the longitudinal direction.

In the known apparatuses of this kind the cutter blades and the shaving plate in contact therewith have a corresponding gradual curvature. When the shaving head, on which said plate is clamped, is pressed against the skin, this skin is somewhat depressed and tensioned so that the beard hairs stand up and are pressed outwards and as a consequence thereof a favourable shaving action is obtained. However, this applies only for skin portions which are supported by jaw-bones. On non-supported skin portions, such as of the cheeks and the throat, the skin will yield as a whole and will arrange itself around the shaving head so that it becomes impossible to exert a local pressure such as to cause the hairs to stand up. For such skin portions a head with a small radius of curvature is more favourable. The known shaving heads, however, have a radius of curvature which is insufficiently adapted to these skin portions.

The invention aims at providing such a shaving head which does not present this drawback. For this purpose the shaving head is characterized in that each of the cutter blades of the cutter head, the circumference of which is mainly, at least approximately, circular arc-shaped, is flattened more or less according to a chord between a point situated in or near the longitudinal centre plane of the cutter head and a second point situated sideways thereof, said flattening joining the circular arc-shaped circumferential portions in a gradually rounded-off manner.

The portions of the blades of which the flattening adjoins the circular arc-shaped portions, have a considerably smaller radius of curvature and are therefore exceedingly suitable for a thorough shaving, said circular arc-shaped portions being destined for a normal shaving action. In particular also the flattened portions may present a slight curvature in order thus to obtain at least three differently curved areas each adapted to a specific shaving action.

about a shaft fixedly connected with the shaving plate support, and on the other side be pressed by springs against the shaving plate. The advantage thereof is that in the buckled portion of the blades situated nearest to this shaft the shaving plate is given a hardly yielding support, which is particularly favourable in the case of yielding skin portions which are shaved with said strongly curved portion of the shaving plate, whereas the gradually curved portion of the shaving plate is supported on the other side in a resiliently yielding manner which is favourable when shaving skin portions supported by jaw bones.

In such a shaving head according to the invention it is preferred to use a shaving plate the apertures of which in said plate situated in those areas which correspond with the strongly curved portions of the cutter head are constituted by substantially round or square apertures.

The apertures in the remaining portions of the shaving plate are then mainly rectangular and are arranged in longitudinal sense successively in rows which cover the apertures in adjacent rows preferably partly, substantially round or square apertures being provided in the dams between the short sides of said apertures.

This shaving plate preferably has been buckled in advance in those regions which cO-operate with the strongly curved portions of the cutter head, so that when clamping the shaving plate on the shaving head a smooth junction on the cutter head is guaranteed.

The invention will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings; these drawings show in:

FIG. 1 a diagrammatic cross-section of an embodiment of a shaving head according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 a view of part of a shaving plate for such a shaving head.

The shaving head shown comprises a frame 1 on which a shaving plate 2 with apertures 3 is clamped. Within this frame a cutter head 4 with cutter blades 5 is provided, said cutter head being adapted to be vibrated in longitudinal direction by means of parts which are not shown. The cutter blades 5 are with their circumference in contact with the inner surface of the plate 2.

Between a curved portion 6 situated in or close to the longitudinal centre plane of the shaving head and a curved portion 7 situated more sideways the cutter blades 5 are somewhat flattened as shown at 8, which flattened portion 8 may have a certain curvature.

Thus the cutter blades have differently curved portions, namely a portion 9 comprising approximately half the circumference and having a more or less circular curvature and a moderate radius of curvature, furthermore two strongly curved portions 6 and 7, and finally a relatively flattened portion 8. Each of these portions is thereby adapted for a specific shaving action.

In FIG. 1 a cutter head 4 is shown which is preferably applied. This head is pivotally mounted on pins 10 near one longitudinal side and at the other longitudinal side it is pressed by springs 11 against the shaving plate, said pins and springs being secured to the frame '1. The pins 10 are thereby situated near the curved portions '7 of the shaving plate. As a result thereof this portion 7 is hardly yieldingly supported against transverse forces so that in that area a strong local pressure may be exerted on yielding skin portions, in particular of the cheek. The other strongly curved portion 6 on the other hand may yield somewhat since it is situated approximately half-way between the pivot pins 10 and the springs 11. This portion is particularly suitable to shave the more sensitive skin portion of the throat. The portion 9 of the shaving plate is 0 likewise supported in a somewhat yielding manner and serves in particular for shaving the skin portions supported by bones, in particular near the lips and the nose.

Such an embodiment is furthermore particularly favourable for a rocking shaving head according to applicants simultaneously filed patent application Ser. No. 636,383, according to which the portion 7 performs a vibration movement perpendicular to the surface and the portions 6 and 9 perform a vibration movement mainly parallel to the surface.

As stated above, in the strongly curved portions 6 and 7 a strong local pressure may be exerted on the skin which may cause the hairs to stand up. However, it the shaving plate is provided, as usual, with oblong shaving apertures, the skin around the hairs in these strongly curved portions of the shaving plate is not sufficiently all-sidedly supported which leads to a reduced directing effect, while, moreover, in those areas the plate is weakened. It is therefore to be preferred not to provide the strongly curved portions with oblong apertures but to provide them with round apertures. Thus it is also prevented that on exerting a strong pressure the skin protrudes in a shaving aperture and would be damaged by the cutter blades.

It may furthermore be preferable to provide in the dams between the short sides of oblong apertures in the shaving plate substantially around or square apertures in order to cause also in other skin portions hair ends of insuflicient length to stand up again so far by all-sided supporting of the surrounding skin that these hair ends too are shaved. FIG. 2 shows a view of part of such a shaving plate from which the distribution of the various apertures is clearly apparent.

If the shaving plate 2 is flat in the usual way and is then clamped on the frame 1, the junction with the cutter blades in the portion 8 may be unsatisfactory, since the plate in this portion will assume approximately the same curvature as oppositely the portion 9 of the cutter blades. It may therefore appear to be necessary to bend or buckle the shaving plate somewhat in advance in order to ensure a satisfactory junction along the entire circumference of the blades.

In this way a shaving head is obtained of which the shaving action may be changed by the person using the shaver by changing the position relative to the skin. Such a shaving head may be mounted on all shavers of the kind under discussion.

I claim:

1. An electric shaving device comprising a shear comb which is curved with the exception of a flattened portion extending from the center of the curve to a position spaced from one end of the curve, and a movable blade means disposed within said comb and having a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of said comb, said movable blade means being pivotal about one end thereof and being spring loaded at the other end thereof.

2. An electric shaving device comprising a shear comb which is curved with the exception of at least one substantially flattened portion extending substantially from the center of the comb to a position spaced from said center; a cutter head being arranged within said combsaid cutter head comprising a plurality of cutter blades having a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of said comb, each of said blades being pivoted about one end thereof and being arranged generally transversely of the longitudinal direction of said comb; a biasing spring arranged at the other end of each of said blades and urging same towards said comb; and means to vibrate said blades in the general longitudinal direction of said comb.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,099,334 11/ 1937 Gormley 30-436 2,104,929 1/1938 Kendall 30-4392 2,396,181 3/1946 Kerwer 30-435 2,445,790 7/ 1948 Lonne 30-4392 2,183,442 12/1939 Blackwell 30-4392 X 2,677,885 5/1954 Chaun 30-436 X 2,827,695 3/1958 Vitale 30-4392 X 3,028,668 4/1962 Dechaux 30-438 X 2,841,867 7/1958 Padgett 30-341 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,066,912 9/1958 Germany. 1,069,500 11/1959 Germany.

MYRON C. KRUSE, Primary Examiner. 

